(The following is a transcription from a video Linda and I recorded. Please excuse any typos or errors.)
In 2017, I purchased a Jeep Wrangler. I had been wanting one for 20 years.
I even wrote a song about wanting a Jeep Wrangler in high school. It was just something I had been longing for, for such a long time.
I had honestly shopped around for Jeeps probably three times over the previous 20 years. And then for one reason or another, I just couldn’t go through with the purchase at the time.
I would go through this cycle over and over again. Over time, I’m praying for this car and in 2017 I finally was able to purchase a Jeep.
The first day I got the Jeep Wrangler we were actually driving back from Kentucky, as I bought it out of state, so it was a little bit of a drive. And so I’m driving home, I’m on top of the world, so ecstatic that I finally have this car! Everything seems good and I’m noticing that even strangers are waving to me. I thought, “Oh, that’s a fun Kentucky thing.” Driving down these roads in Kentucky and everybody’s waving and it’s just great and it’s awesome.
The next day, I’m back in Nashville, I go out with the Jeep and it’s a beautiful day. I have the top down and I took the doors off. It’s really an amazing feeling. I feel like I’m basically on a motorcycle with four wheels. It’s great.
So I’m driving again, and I’m driving down this road. There’s a lot of cars on this road, but I noticed this guy was waving to me and I thought, “Do I know you?” I was trying to look to see if I knew him, but I didn’t know him. I then thought, “Oh, maybe he just confused me for somebody else.” And then I started noticing more and more people waving at me, it was just happening more and more and more again.
I was at a stoplight one time and this guy starts waving to me, like waving to me so much that he almost falls out of his car waving to me. I began thinking, “Well, what is going on?” I feel like all this waving started once I got this Jeep and I could not figure out what was going on. Then it just finally dawned on me, every single person who I remember who had been waving to me was also driving a Jeep.
The Jeep Club
There’s a club here that I just joined. I didn’t know that there was a Jeep club or that I am now a part of this club. Apparently this is a thing, if you have a Jeep and you drive by somebody else in a Jeep, you wave. That’s just what you do.
Once I learned of the Jeep wave, I can remember telling my wife Linda that if she’s taking the Jeep out for the day, she has to wave at other people who are driving a Jeep. She looked at me and asked “Are you serious?” I told her that yes, this is a thing. They’re all going to wave at you and you need to wave back. With the exception for girls, because sometimes girls don’t wave. If the driver is a 16-year-old girl driving her bright yellow Jeep, she doesn’t wave (like Cher from Clueless).
Now that I realized I’m in this club, and this is how you behave and what you do, I didn’t want to miss any opportunity to wave at my fellow club members. I started watching really, really closely. Every time I’m driving, I’m looking around. Quickly, what I realized is there’s Jeeps everywhere. I knew there were a lot of Jeeps on the road, but once you’re really, really looking…they’re everywhere.
I was participating and paying attention and looking all around for Jeeps, everywhere. Finding them and getting to do my wave to everybody was exciting. We had our two-year-old daughter getting in on the game, too. Anytime we’d be driving, she’d be looking around and she’d yell, “My Jeep. My Jeep.” It was so cute. But anyway, the point is, is that it became a family affair for all of us. And we were all just now very aware of all the Jeeps on the road and we never missed any of them because we were looking so closely.
God’s Blessings
If you’re still with me, you’re probably wondering why I am telling you that story and there’s a reason. I’m working on a book right now and I just finished a chapter. And the chapter is about seeing God’s blessings and how very often if we aren’t looking, we miss God’s blessings and we missed the things that He’s doing in our lives. And the truth is, is that God’s blessings are all around us and they’re happening all the time. He is pouring them out on us. But if we’re not actively looking for what God’s doing in our lives and the blessings that are coming towards us, or that are already in our lives, we can miss them.
One of the things that I was so guilty of for so many years was explaining away the things that God’s doing. When God would do something, I didn’t see it as a blessing. When I got a promotion, I would explain it as, “Well, I just worked really hard. That’s why I got a promotion.” Or, if you’re struggling to get pregnant for a while and then you get pregnant and you happen to use a doctor, you can attribute that to the doctor or you can attribute it to God. Maybe God used that doctor, but at the end of the day, that’s the blessing of the Lord.
The reality is, is that God uses natural things all the time to bless us. But I think that’s why it makes it tricky to see that it is actually the Lord who is doing these things. Rather than just seeing them as a coincidence and like, “Oh, well it was just because I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
Well, yeah, you were there at the right place at the right time. But why were you there? You were there because of the Lord. The Lord directs your steps. And you can look at that as just serendipitous or you can see it for what it really is, which is the blessing of the Lord in your life.
Linda and I just want to encourage you in this today, be looking around, be watching for what God’s doing in your life. And sometimes He even does this through things that are big challenges and struggles and trials. He uses them ultimately to be a blessing. We’ve had this happen multiple times.
Blessings in Challenges, Struggles, and Trials
One of the best things ever happened in my life was getting laid off. So many fantastic things came through that trial, but the moment it happened it was really hard to see it as a blessing. I’m not at all trying to say that everything bad that happens is a blessing. But the point is, to be watching, be looking to see what God is doing in your life.
I also want to point out that God does say that He will use everything for our good. God causes all things to work together for our good. So the things that come into your life that are not from God, He is still using them to your benefit. Everything in your life, good or bad, he is weaving it together to make this amazing, beautiful life for you.
If you would like to watch Linda and I talk about this subject, be sure to check out our YouTube video:
We hope you found this helpful. Be blessed. Be a blessing.
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Bob an Linda,
My finances and relationship with my adult sons is a mess. I remarried almost 19 years ago. My sons father was and is an alcoholic. I’m 66, went to nursing school in my 40’s, working as a RN,has been a real highlight of my life.
I have 3 sons, oldest is almost 47,46,42. Each are married and oldest has a daughter, middle has twin boys, one with two types of autism and childhood onset schizophrenia, and other twin has Aspergers, they are 15. Youngest son has 1 son,15.
I was introduced to my husband by his daughter. She and I worked in the same SICU. Even though I said,never ever getting married again.
At the time, my husband owned a fast food franchise about 60 miles away. He drove there everyday, unfortunately, in 2008 due to economy lost it. I had injured my back in 2005 and unable to work. Devastating for me. Not only did we lose his business, we lost everything. Everyone in that county hated him.
We lived on back bay in Pcola ,Fl, never at a loss for family to visit, out in the boat and on and on.
We rented and owner changed their mind.I received a settlement for my back, and we moved to a house where all the monies spent where from my settlement. My husband didn’t work fo two years. BP oil spill happened.My husband got a job with a company where he worked about a 8-9 months. Someone told him about returning to school and able to make money for expenses. He started at an online university, .near us. He now has numerous degrees from there and works for a security company at night. He told me he was going to help pay off the credit cards I used, for us and our new home. We were able to purchase a patio home 3 years ago. In Aug 2018 I find out I had breast cancer, surgery in Oct, and months before healing. Due to an abscess. I had no support from my sons, or from his daughters. He has the two, one,my friend and younger daughter.
It was so painful knowing they didn’t care enough to call or once see me. My oldest son called me on Thanksgiving Day,to ask how was my relationship with God? Not how are you or anything else.
I haven’t been to church in quite some time. It seems I hurt so bad, and feel quilts that he is home and goes back too work Sunday night. My husband is 73. Last year he decided selling coins would be a great way to make money. He’s opened credit cards, bought a safe and can barely cover his bills. Still no help from him, regarding my bills for accounts.I have used the credit cards for medical expenses,rxs, doc visits, groceries . Now I have more medical expenses, he used to help buy groceries, gas but doesn’t help. He gives me his ss check 1446. Plus a retirement check for 246.00 My social security is 1063.00 . Expenses are house,1300.00, utilities 400.00 insurance,dental,life and vision,300.00. Credit cards,and groceries,rxs,and doctor visits. Since my pcp retired,my new pcp has me seeing specialists,,psychiatrist 25.00 co pay, dc narcotics and counseling. 2. I have Psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis ,inflammatory arthritis.My RA is 25.00 co pay. Still paying on hospital bill,Bal of 490.00 ,dental credit 1500. and combined total of 9500. Credit cards. I am afraid we will lose our home due to his coin business. And have no idea where to begin paying off bills to be stable. Any suggestions, I know will not qualify for a consolidation loan. My credit cards have a high interest rate too. I need hope, for restoration with my sons,long story with them, financial guidance. I realize this is more than a note but Psalm37 is hope.
Oh yeah, I’m right there wit ya. Way ahead of you. I’m 73years old and have known this my entire life. But I think I missed the POINT of why people were waving at you in the jeep. Did I miss that?
Thanks for sharing Bob. amazing blog
nice post thanks for sharing.